Israel has formally begun its withdrawal from the occupied Gaza Strip by outlawing the continued presence of Jewish settlers in the Palestinian territory. "This is the final closing of the Kissufim road into Gaza. From this moment on, all entrance and stay in Gaza is prohibited for Israelis by law," army spokeswoman Major Sharon Feingold said after Sunday midnight. "Tomorrow morning from very early the plan is to go into Gaza and ask them (the settlers) to kindly come with us," she added.
The 8000-9000 Jewish settlers who have made Gaza their home have a 48-hour grace period to leave before Israeli police and soldiers begin to forcibly evacuate all 21 settlements in the Palestinian territory on Wednesday. Eviction notices to all 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and four of 120 in the West Bank went into effect at midnight (2100 GMT Sunday), setting the clock ticking on a 48-hour grace period to cross into Israel. But Israel's military early on Monday cancelled an operation to deliver by hand eviction notices to individual homes in six Gaza settlements, saying it wanted to respect the wishes of the settlers there. Military spokeswoman Feingold said the settlers at the six locations preferred to receive the notices in the mail.
Settlers at several of the settlements planned to block the entrances to prevent soldiers from entering with the notices. Notices were to be distributed to the other 15 Gaza colonies on Monday morning as planned, said Feingold. Israel is also to dismantle another four enclaves in the northern West Bank before recalling all its soldiers from Gaza by early October, drawing a line under a 38-year occupation. |